Source: James Kweku Baako, Ajumako Besease
The 27 family heads and nine chiefs of Ajumako Besease in the Ajumako Traditional area of the Central Region have destooled the chief of Ajumako Besease.
The traditional authorities said Osabarima Danfo Baah VII ceased to be the Ajumako Besease chief for his intentional refusal to obey the Ajumako Traditional Council’s reasonable and lawful orders.
The chiefs and elders briefed the media after performing rituals leading to the dethronement of Osabarima Danfo Baah VII, whom they accused of denting the Ajumako Traditional Area’s image.
The spokesperson for the 27 family heads of Ajumako Traditional Council, Nana Kweku Eduah, who also doubles as the Kwana Family head, alleged that the paramount chief of the Ajumako Traditional Council, Okokudurfo Kwamina Hammer Ababio, the nine chiefs of the community and other family heads had earlier disowned the Odzikro, also called the chief of the area due to what they claimed to be his failure to accord them the due respect on many occasions.
He noted that removing Osabarima Danfo Baah VII from the throne was difficult since the traditional rulers did not enjoy seeing their colleague’s downfall.
Nana Kweku Eduah revealed that the traditional leaders became fed up with Osabarima Danfo Baah VII’s repeated insubordination and finally destooled him before things got out of hand.
The family head and other chiefs in the community, like the Gyaasehen of the area, Nana, Nana Kwame Edu V, also accused the destooled chief of failing to implement development projects in the Ajumako Besease community. They blamed him for failing to render accounts of monies received for the community’s development initiatives over the past three years.
They listed monies realised from the annual Akwambo festival celebration, levies from the community’s old post office renovation, bags of cement, and other donations by the Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam constituency, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, as some compelling reasons for the dethronement.
Some others noted that Osabarima Danfo Baah VII, in a way of avoiding accountability, victimised some Ebusuapanyinfo (family elders) by deposing them or keeping a certain distance away from them.
As part of the destoolment ceremony, a sheep was sacrificed to pacify the seven divinities and ancestors of the area and to also announce to them the community’s intention to dethrone Osabarima Danfo Baah VII forever.
They also fired musketeers and beat the royal drum to signify that they had parted company with Osabarima Danfo Baah VII.
The 27 family heads and the nine chiefs of the area locked up the palace, poured drops of animal blood, and decorated the locked door with red strips of cloth as a way of expressing their anger and denying the paramount chief access to the palace.
Our news team gathered that the 27 family heads and the nine other chiefs had successfully submitted to Okokudurfo Kwamina Hammer Ababio, the paramount chief of the Ajumako traditional council, the letter announcing the destoolment of Ajumako Besease chief, Osabarima Danfo Baah VII.
Some elders and traditional rulers called on the youth not to allow anyone to influence them to cause mayhem due to destoolment.
